In the General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) network, a service node may access a Home Location Register via Gr interface, as shown in FIG. 1, where the Gr interface is based on a Mobile Application Part (MAP) protocol, the Home Location Register is configured to perform network access authentication, location management, etc. In the evolved GPRS network, a mobile management entity is an evolved entity of a control function of the original service node, while a home subscriber server is an evolved entity of the original Home Location Register. The mobile management entity may access the home subscriber server via S6 interface, as shown in FIG. 2, where the S6 interface is based on a Diameter protocol, the home subscriber server is configured to perform network access authentication, location management, etc.
In implementing the present invention, it is discovered that the above conventional schema encounters at least the following problems.
The service node in the original GPRS network employs Integrated Service Digital Network (ISDN) for addressing, i.e., E.164 addressing format, so that the Home Location Register may utilize the ISDN number of the service node for addressing the service node. In the evolved GPRS network, however, the mobile management entity employs a domain name approach for addressing, i.e., Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) format, so that the home subscriber server may utilize the domain name resolution for addressing the mobile management entity. Thus, neither could the mobile management entity provide an Interworking Function entity (IWF) network element with the ISDN number, nor could the IWF provide the Home Location Register with the corresponding ISDN number. As a result, the Home Location Register in the original GPRS network fails to address the mobile management entity via the IWF, and similarly, the mobile management entity fails to address the Home Location Register via the IWF either.